A YAL Reading List

After numerous requests by email, I'm putting together a reading list for the YAL member interested in expanding his or her understanding of the principles of liberty. The thing is, though, that I need your help -- because as much as I've read, it's unrealistic to think I'll come up with everything good. So here's a short preliminary list to get us started:

The Freeman is a great journal, but sadly one to which I’m not subscribed

And for a younger perspective, the YAL blog, of course!

Please submit lots of your own suggestions in the comments on this post! In case I'm not familiar with each work, please note if you think it's a beginner, intermediate, or advanced reading project. Thanks!

I think An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard by Justin Raimondo is a great look into the history of libertarianism in the 20th century, not to mention the life of one of the greatest thinkers of our time.

Add The Market for Liberty by Linda & Morris Tannehill to the list. Explains in great detail how a stateless society could & would function, but easy to read & follow. 2nd on my list. For a New Liberty by Rothbard being #1

Submitted by Michael30 (not verified) on January 20, 2011.

Walter Block - Defending the Undefendable

Thomas DiLorenzo - Lincoln Unmasked

Andrew Napolitano - Lies the Government Told You

Submitted by Mark (not verified) on January 20, 2011.

My personal top 3 would be:

Ron Paul- "The Revolution: A Manifesto"

Harry Browne- "The Great Libertarian Offer"

Murray Rothbard- "For a New Liberty"

Those books all changed my life in significant ways, and I recommend them highly to anyone interested in libertarianism.

Here is a presentation that helps to explain the current fiscal situation, I think this presentation helps to draw in many people in the scientific fields. The presenter claims to be an Austrian, with limitations - and uses a lot of data by applying it through applied science, a combination of physics and economics! Not sure if the video applies to this post but it's worth the watch for everyone.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Moretnson, why you might ask? Very simple...private peace efforts go a long way to combat terrorism, and many have said that Mr, Moretenson by going over to Pakistan and Afghanistan and building schools for children there has done more to combat terrorism than American military operations. This book is a real world story on, as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 put it "privitizing peace"

Naomi Klien - "The Shock Doctrine" I know, she is a lefty, but this book will show you how horrible Friedman's Chicago School actually is.

John Perkins- "Confessions a an Economic Hitman"

Suzanne Collins - "The Hunger Games Trilogy" Just finished this for some good light fiction reading. Lots of liberty oriented ideas, and the coniving ways that politicians exploit others. I was able to read the whole trilogy in like 2 weeks, its a quick one.

To add just another post to back it up - Murray Rothbards "For a New Liberty: A Libertarian Manifesto" For all you minarcists this is or perhaps Mary Ruwarts "Healing our World" will answer many questions you might have of your anarchist brothern

I think it would be helpful to split this up by subject matter and difficulty, as Bonnie suggested.

Economics:

Beginner--Economics in One Lesson

Intermediate--An Introduction to Austrian Economics, Thomas C. Taylor

Advanced--Man, Economy, and State (this is a better book to learn economics from than Human Action...Rothbard originally intended it as something like a textbook, although it grew beyond that)

Extra Credit--Human Action by Mises, America's Great Depression by Rothbard

Anarcho-capitalism:

Beginner--Chaos Theory (Robert Murphy)

Intermediate--I've got nothing.

Advanced--The Market for Liberty

Advanced--For a New Liberty (Rothbard)

Extra credit--Lysander Spooner, Albert Jay Nock

Classical Liberalism/Paleoconservativism/etc

Beginner--I'm drawing a blank...maybe one of the Politically Incorrect guide series? Maybe you just need to jump in and read the Enlightenment-era texts? Heck, maybe just read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights?

Intermediate--Bastiat, The Law

Advanced--Locke, Two Treatises on Government (mostly the second)

Advanced--Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (the first half)

Central Planning:

Beginner--I, Pencil by Leonard Read

Intermediate--The Use of Knowledge in Society by Hayek

Advanced--Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth by Mises

"Modern" Philosophy:

Intermediate--a few chapters from The Virtue of Selfishness by Rand (probably skip the stuff by Nethaniel Branden [spelling?])

Advanced--Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Fiction:

No real "levels" here...

1984

Brave New World

We

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Heinlein)

Atlas Shrugged

I might add that the anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is insanely libertarian, although anime's a bit niche for some people. Know your audience. Deals with the contrast between heirarchical/coercive and individualist/voluntary responses to crises.